May 1 - 7, 2016

Rise of a Legend by Kathryn Lasky - although this is the 16th in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, it's a prequel telling the story of one of the great teachers. Lyze has lots of new ideas about ways to fight the 100 year war. It has been quite awhile since I finished the series so it did take time for me to remember some owlish terms. This did have a little feel of being written for the sake of the series, not because the author had something new to say. Written for 5/6th graders.

3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sun on Fire by Victor Arnor Ingolfsson - a businessman is found dead in the Icelandic embassy in Berlin. Two Icelandic detectives are sent to investigate. The only suspects are some of Iceland's elite. This does have an unsavory description of a pedophile.

3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Down the Rabbit Hole - this is a collection of 5 stories by 5 different authors, each with an Alice in Wonderland twist. I read it for the Eve Dallas novella by J.D. Robb. What initially looks to be a murder/suicide turns into something more with a little paranormal twist. I gave that story 3 stars. The other stories include time travel and a bodice ripper and they receive

2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the Fire by Jane Casey - Maeve Kerrigan # 6 finds Maeve and the rest of the team investigating a fire on the Maudling Estate that has resulted in the death of four people, including a politician with no reason to be there. Maeve is still struggling with the desertion of her boyfriend. And she still has a problem with her stalker that I sincerely hope has finally been put to rest in this book. I ordered this book immediately after finishing the previous in the series and read it straight through. It really flowed right along and didn't feel like 466 pages. Maeve is one tough woman.

4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Wars by Lee Child - a story from Jack Reacher's past featuring his brother Joe. A lieutenant colonel is found shot execution style on a remote road. A very short e-book that packed a lot in.

3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights? by Lemony Snicket - the 4th and last in the All the Wrong Questions series. This was supposed to answer all the questions about the events on Stain'd By the Sea. But I must have been too tired when I read it because I was left going huh? A disappointing end.

2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We Die Alone:A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth - this is the true story of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian on a secret mission to northern Norway in 1943. Things go bad and he is the only survivor of his group. He is taken in by strangers who make it their mission to get him to Sweden under the nose of the German army. Written in 1954 by a British officer in the SOE.

4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breakdown by Jonathan Kellerman - five years ago Alex Delaware was asked to perform an evaluation of a 5 yo boy after his mother, an actress, suffers a mental break. Now the actress has been found ranting a digging in stranger's gardens. And there is no sign of her son. The plot is a little farfetched but I enjoyed it more than the previous in the series. I have read 31 books in this series now!

4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens - Joe needs to do a college writing assignment by interviewing a stranger and writing their biography. He somehow stumbles upon Carl, a murderer recently released from prison because he's in the end stages of cancer. At the same time, Joe is trying to escape his dysfunctional home life while also helping his autistic brother. As Joe gets to know Carl better he can't reconcile his crime with the man. And Carl claims he's innocent. Pretty thrilling at the end.

4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths - the 8th Ruth Galloway book. Ruth's friend Cathbad is housesitting when one night he sees a woman in blue in a graveyard. The next day a young woman wearing a blue housecoat is found murdered. Then an old friend of Ruth's contacts her about threatening letters she's receiving. All the action centers around Walsingham, a town with many religious overtones. IMO, Ruth is back to being a little whiny again, she wants what she doesn't want. Other personal relationships come to a head. And it was a little disappointing that there is no archeological dig going on this time.

3 stars